69
Metascore
42 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91The Film StageJake Kring-SchreifelsThe Film StageJake Kring-SchreifelsIt’s hard to find movies—no matter their scope—that grasp and depict the human experience with the kind of honesty and dexterity Raiff has committed to the screen so far.
- 90TheWrapCarlos AguilarTheWrapCarlos AguilarAvoiding the sophomore slump, Raiff’s delightfully sigh-worthy Cha Char Real Smooth is the type of sincere enterprise that could easily be spoiled with hackneyed platitudes or simplistically rose-colored plot points, yet here it sings with a wondrous candor and an unforced dramatic rhythm that turns it mightily irresistible.
- 90SlashfilmBen PearsonSlashfilmBen PearsonEven if its archetypes might feel overly familiar, the formula works for a reason, and when anything is executed with such pure-hearted joy and affection for its characters, you can't help but smile.
- 83IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichRaiff scales up the disarming earnestness of his debut without losing any of its DIY intimacy.
- 83The PlaylistRodrigo PerezThe PlaylistRodrigo PerezCha Cha Real Smooth is an affable, heart-on-its-sleeve winner.
- 83Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattEntertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattCha Cha feels like both a fitting showcase for a young auteur like Raiff and a larger marker of how much movie masculinity has evolved: a real-smooth manifesto for the anti-toxic man.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeBuilding on the strengths of his justly celebrated debut, maintaining its distinctive point-of-view while broadening the scope of its sympathy, Cooper Raiff‘s Cha Cha Real Smooth is a more mainstream film than 2020’s Shithouse without feeling the least bit generic.
- 70Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonThere’s a slightness to this tale, and also a nagging familiarity in its exploration of twenty-something restlessness, but Raiff’s compassionate eye — paired with Dakota Johnson’s melancholy turn — results in a touching, understated affair.
- 70VarietyOwen GleibermanVarietyOwen GleibermanCha Cha Real Smooth works overtime to be an honest movie, and it also works overtime to ingratiate itself. In a sense, it accomplishes both aims, but I’m not sure that they entirely go together.
- 40The GuardianBenjamin LeeThe GuardianBenjamin LeeAt a young age, Raiff still remains an exciting up-and-coming film-maker of note and even in his sophomoric slump, there’s enough, coupled with his standout debut, to suggest that better things will come. Hopefully better titles too.